Tools for assembling external retaining rings



p 1, 1959 F. STEYER 2,901,817

TOOLS FOR ASSEMBLING EXTERNAL RETAINING RINGS Filed June 17, 1957 INVENTOR FREDVH,STEYER BY xz fidjl@ %uz ATTORNEY United States Patent" 15 Patented Sept. 1, 1959 ice TOOLS FOR ASSEMBLING EXTERNAL RETAINING RINGS" Application I June -17, 1957, Serial -No.- 666,072

7 ,1 Claim. (Cl. 29229) Thisinventionrelates to improvements in tools for assembling external retainingn'ngs, and more particularly to an improved plier-type tool, hereinafter for convenience called apilers, for handling, i.e. transporting for assembly, assembling and disassembling, small-size externalretaining rings for shafts smaller than a quarterinch in diameter.

When assembling such small rings with conventional ring. pliers having working points which are inserted into the. apertures usually provided in the cared ends of the rings, it isextremely difiicult to prevent overspreading of the ring because of the difliculty in controlling the degree of opening of the small-size pliers required for such rings. Yet, if the ring is spread more than a predetermined permissible amount (about ten percent of free ring diameter), it is liable to take on a permanent set. and even to rupture, with the result that it becomes. unfit for use as a precision retaining ring serving to provide an artificial shoulder on the shaft or the like.

Recognizing this disadvantage of the conventional pliers, various means for limiting the maximum spreading of the plier points to an amount which in turn prevents overspreading of a ring engaged thereby have been suggested. For example, a ring-handling pliers accordingto the Feitl Patent No. 2,455,165, dated November 30, 1948, proposes-for this purpose that the connector frame which provides the pivotal connection between the non-crossed plier arms mount abutment arms which extend to the working points of the pliers and are disposed sidewardly and in the path of movement thereof, said abutment arms serving not only to provide abutment-s against which the ring ears are spread by said working pointsvas the latter move outwardly, thereby to eifect a secure gripping of the ring ears, but also to establish the maximum amount that the ring can be spread. Another means previously suggested for this purpose took the form of a transversely disposed U- member secured to one plier jaw or tip and straddling the other tip, the member moreover mounting and adjusting screw projecting therefrom by which the maximum spacing between the jaws and hence their working points could be adjusted according to the size of the particular rings being assembled.

Unfortunately, such means for preventing overspreading of the plier'points and hence of the ring'engaged thereby, although functioning satisfactorily for the larger-size rings, are not at all suited to pliers for use with the very small rings. As a matterof fact,- the outer abutment arms against'which the ring ends are gripped when spread the maxim amount according to the aforesaid Feitl patent have proved to be hindrance rather than an aid to the assembly of small rings. Moreover, it was extremely difiicult to build an acceptable outer arm structure into pliers of the small size required for the very small rings. As-to the aforesaid U-member means for limiting spreading of the plier pints,.such proved to be unduly cumbersome and complicated when incorporatedinto the small-size pliers and further was found to be quite impractical because of the space resulting U-bracket, the bight 2.. limitations usually encountered inassembling the smallsize rings;

The presentinvention aims-at; overcoming disadvantages of the prior plier-type. tools incorporating means, as aforesaid for preventing :overspreadingcfzthe working points thereof when appliedto the-assembly-of thezsmallsize rings on'shafts: of 'a quarter-inch orrless, through the provision of verytsimple yet" highly elfective and: sturdy means for accomplishing :this desirable'purpose, as Wellas one that is readily adjustableto the. various: sizes of rings'being assembled;

Yet another object of the: invention is the. provision; of pliers for handlingsandassembling small-size retaining rings characterized fby'connector. means. providing a. pivotal connection-betweenthe companion arms ofth'e pliers, and which, in addition, is provided along its-outer side edges with means serving to determine the maximum amount that the working points of said arms canspread. 1

Still another object of' the invention is the provisionof a pliers for handling retaining ringsas last stated, and which is further characterized by said side edge portions, or at least one of them, being deformable in direction so as to permit an adjustment of the permissible maximum amount that the plier points-may be spread.-

A more specific object of the inventionis the'provision of a pliers for handling and assembling the smallsize external retaining rings characterized by a novel U-form connector bracket providingboth a pivotal connection between-the companion arms of the pliers and, in addition, a simple and unobtrusive yet highlyeifective means for establishing the maximum amount that the working points of the pliers canbe spread;

The above and other objects and advantages ofthe" improved'pliers for handling and assembling small-size external retaining rings of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description; in which reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrative thereof, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a invention;

Fig. 2 is a pliers according to the 'detail view on an enlarged scale of the working end of the pliers shown in Fig. l, with the. plier tips and their working pionts being shown in full. closed position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 (with certain parts being broken away) which illustrate the plier tips andv their working points in slightly spread relation;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the tool adjusted for a greater amount of spreading of the working points than in Fig. .3;

Fig. 5 is an edge .view of the pliers of the invention; and Fig. 6 is a section taken on the vertical center line of the connector bracket.

Referring to the drawings, a pliers according to the invention comprises a pair of generally parallel tcolarms it), 12having handle ends 10a, 1261 and tip ends 10b, 12b, the latter terminatingin pin-like workingpoints 10c, 12c which are adapted to be inserted into the apertures of earsconventionallyformed at the open ends of external retaining rings, which, as is well known, are adapted,, when assembled in the groove of a shaft or the like, to provide anartificial shoulder thereon. The tool'arms- 10 and 12 are adapted'to'be connected intermediate their aforesaid handle andtip ends'by means of a connector bracket generally designated 14," preferably consisting initially oft-azsheetimetal plate of appropriate size. ben t'to' U-form, thus to provide spaced parallel wings 16;-.18,.a's seen in Figs. -5 and 6. Intermediate the side =edges-of the or bend portion thereof) is cut away so as to provide an opening through said bight as indicated at 20, but the side edge portions of the bight are retained, thus to provide small-width connecting necks 22, 24 which extend between the aforesaid connector-bracket wings 16, 18 along the side edges thereof. It will be observed that since the cut-out portion of the connector bracket is disposed upwardly or toward the working end of the pliers, the necks 22, 24 extend a short distance in the same direction.

As best seen in Fig. 3, the tool arms extend into the space between the connector bracket wings 16, 13 and thence through the top or bight opening thereof. As also seen in the drawing, each tool arm 10, 12 is individually pivotally connected to the connector bracket 14, the tool arm 10 by the pin or rivet 26, and the tool arm 12 by the corresponding pin or rivet 28. A centering pin extends between the bracket wings 16, 18, and is disposed on the longitudinal center line of the tool somewhat above the points of pivotal connection of the tool arms to said bracket. Being thus engageable by the inner edges of the tool arms, the centering pin 30 serves to center the tool arms as results in the working points 100, 120 being disposed in their relatively innermost or closed position when the handle ends 10a, 10b of the tool arms are in open position.

As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the necks 22, 24 extending between the connector bracket wings 16, 18 are positioned so as to be engageable by the outer side edges of the tip ends 10b, 12b of the tool arms as said tip ends open responsively to closing of the handle ends of the arms against the bias of a U-spring (Fig. 1) serving to maintain said handles normally spread apart, and accordingly said necks serve as abutments which establish the maximum amount that said tips and their corresponding working points 10c, 12c may be spread. The action of the necks 22, 24 will be best understood by comparing Fig. 3 with Fig. 2, it being observed that in Fig. 2, showing the working points 100, 120 closed, the side edges of the tool tips 10b, 12b are slightly spaced from the adjacent inner edges of the necks 22, 24, whereas in Fig. 3 the tool side edges have abutted the adjacent inner edges of said necks, thereby showing that the working points of the tool have now been spread the maximum amount. It will be understood that by design of the tool such amount is always slightly less than the amount of spread which would cause a ring engaged by the working points 100, 12c to be overspread, and thus the possibility of overspreading of the small-size retaining ring being assemblied by the tool is effectively avoided.

Should it be desired to increase the maximum amount that the working points 190, 120 can be spread, thereby to provide for some variation in the size of retaining rings being assembled, an adjustment may be provided simply by bending either one or both of said necks 22, 24 to a greater or lesser degree in sideward direction, according to the maximum spreading desired of the working points of the jaws. This is indicated in Pig. 4, wherein the neck 24 is shown to have been bent sidewardly or canted to the right, thereby increasing the amount of permissible spreading of the working points 100, 2c in proportion to the amount the neck has been bent.

To facilitate bending of the neck 24 as aforesaid, and also to increase to some extent the degree that said neck may be bent or canted, a recess 36 as shown in Fig. 2 is cut into the upper edge of the connector-bracket wings 16, 18 immediately adjacent the inner side edges of the neck 24. The eifect of such recessing is to increase the length of the neck and accordingly to render it more easily deformable as well as deformable to a greater degree than is possible when the bracket is devoid of said recess.

Without further analysis, it will be appreciated that the described and illustrated plier-type tool for spreading U-shaped connecting open retaining rings the requisite amount enabling their assembly in the grooves of small shafts, but which positively prevents their overspreading, achieves in simple yet effective manner the objectives of the invention outlined above. More particularly, it will be seen that the herein proposed means for limiting the maximum amount that the working points of the tool can be spread is incorporated into the simple connector bracket serving to interconnect the tool arms for individual pivotal movement, and hence complicated extension-arm structure adjacent the working points of the tools, which is the objection to the pliers according to the aforesaid Feitl Patent No. 2,455,165 when applied to small-size retaining rings, is avoided. Similarly, since the necks 22, 24 of the connector bracket are disposed substantially within the dimension of the connector bracket, they do not render the tool. cumbersome and impractical for use in applications where space is limited, as does the sidewardly directed U-mernber and projecting adjusting screw form of jaw-movement limiting means as mentioned above. Moreover, the provision of adjustability in the amount that the tool working points can be spread simply by bending the integral U-neck of the connector bracket serving to pivotally connect the tool arms is of advantage in that it completely avoids any requirement for adjusting screws or other means separate from the connector usually required to provide the adjustment feature.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

i claim:

A plier-type tool for use in assembling open-ended retaining rings having apertured ears at their open ends on grooved shafts, pins and the like, comprising a pair of generally parallel tool arms having handle and tip ends and said tip ends terminating in pin-like working points adapted to be inserted into the ring ear apertures, connector means providing a pivotal connection between said arms intermediate their handle and tip ends whereby closing of the handle ends effects spreading of the working points of the tool, said connector means comprising a U-member having spaced parallel wings, the bight portion of said U-mernber being disposed towards the ringengaging end of the tool and being cut away intermediate its side edges so as to provide an opening therethrough, the tool arms passing between and being individually pivoted to said wings and the tip ends of said arms projecting through the opening in the bight of the U -member, the retained side edge portions of the bight providing laterally spaced abutments disposed relatively outwardly and in the path of opening movement of said tip ends and which are located close to the pivotal connections between said arms and U-rnember and hence remote from said working points, the spacing between said retained side edge portions determining the maximum amount that the tip ends and hence the working points of the tool may be spread, the parallel wings of the connector means being provided with corresponding recesses which open through their tip-end edges and are located immediately adjacent one side-edge bight portion, thereby to effectively lengthen said bight portion and render it readily bendable and hence spreadable with respect to the other side-edge bight portion to vary the spacing between said side-edge bight portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

